We've seldom encountered a television as schizophrenic as the Samsung UE40D6530. On the one hand, you've got a paradigm of modern TV design - an achingly slim, beautifully finished and well specified set that can boast both exemplary 2D picture quality and a class-leading range of streaming services. On the other, you'll find frustratingly poor 3D picture quality, with images mired in crosstalk, hamstrung by poor motion stability and crippled by an overall lack of resolution.

But the Samsung's facility with standard 2D images should not be underestimated. It's wonderfully crisp, has excellent clarity with Free view HD signals, and it works just as well both Blu-ray and DVD. For a set so phenomenally slim, its contrast levels are superb too, although that slight chassis makes it presence felt if you turn up the volume: this is no sonic powerhouse, and its brash treble and lacklustre bass reflect the speaker's limited size and ability.

The Samsung is TV having built-in Wi-Fi, and once you go online you'll find much is forgiven. Samsung's Smart Hub portal is excellent, with more content than any rival, plus a supremely user-friendly layout.

When it's been mounted on to your wall,the ultra-slim UE40D6530 will take up less of your living room than any rival, thanks to Samsung's dedicated small profile wall-mounting system.

If ever a TV needed an external sound system, it's this one. Don't have the room or cash for a full home cinema system? Samsung makes a sound-bar (the HW-D570) that integrates with the TV's remote control.

Stream dreams
Samsung's Smart Hub has more streaming services than any rival, including Acetrax, Blinkbox, LoveFilm and PictureBox. Services fit into 'hubs' such as 'Social TV', which includes Facebook, Twitter, Google Talk and Skype. There's also an app store, and the TV can stream a wide range of media files from your network via DLNA.